3Topics Appropriate for Survey ResearchDescriptive, exploratory, and explanatoryUnits of analysis = respondentsRespondents – A person who provides data for analysis by responding to a survey questionnaire.Large samples, original data, measuring attitudes and orientations

4Guidelines for Asking QuestionsQuestionnaire – A document containing questions and other types of items designed to solicit information appropriate for analysis.

5Choose Appropriate Question FormsQuestions and StatementsOpen-Ended and Closed-Ended QuestionsOpen-Ended Questions – Questions for which the respondent is asked to provide his/her own answers.Closed-Ended Questions – Survey questions in which the respondent is asked to select an answer from among a list provided by the researcher.

6Make Items ClearAvoid Double-Barreled QuestionsRespondents Must Be Competent to AnswerRespondents Must Be Willing to Answer

7Questions Should Be RelevantShort Items are BestAvoid Negative ItemsAvoid Biased Items and Terms

22Response Rate – The number of people participating in a survey divided by the number selected in the sample.Ideal = higher than 70%Why is a low response rate bad?What can be done to improve response?

23Interview SurveysInterview – A data-collection encounter in which one person (interviewer) asks questions of another (respondent).

24The Role of the Survey InterviewerInterviewers solicit higher response rates (80-85%) than mail surveys.Interviews minimized “don’t know” and “no answer.”Interviewers serve as a guard against confusion.Interviewers can observe respondents while completing the questionnaire.

25General Guidelines for Survey InterviewingDress appropriatelyBe familiar with questionnaireFollow question working exactlyRecord responses exactlyProbe when necessaryProbe – a technique employed interviewing to solicit a more complete answer to a question.

28Random-Digit Dialing (RDD) – A sampling technique in which random numbers are selected from within the ranges of numbers assigned to active telephones.

29Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) – A data-collection technique in which a telephone-survey questionnaire is stored in a computer, permitting the interviewer to read the questions from the monitor and enter the answers on the computer keyboard

32DO use consistent wording.DO use simple language.DON’T force excessive scrolling.DO offer to share select result with respondents.DO plan time and day of initial mailing.DO be aware of technical limitations.DO test incentives, rewards, and prizes.DO limit studies to less than 15 minutes.

33Comparison of the Different Survey MethodsSelf-Administered QuestionnairesCheaper and faster than face-to-face interviewsNational is the same cost as local mailingsRequires small staffMore willingness to answer controversial itemsInterview SurveysFewer incomplete questionnairesMore effective for complicated questionnairesFace-to-face is more intimateTelephone SurveysCheaper and more time efficientOnline SurveysAvailable software and websites

34Strengths and Weaknesses of Survey ResearchUseful in describing large populationsMake large samples possibleSurveys are flexibleStandardized questionsWeaknessesRound pegs in square holesSeldom deal with context of social lifeInflexibleArtificialWeak on validity (but strong on reliability)

35Secondary AnalysisSecondary Analysis – A form of research in which the data collected and processed by one researcher are reanalyzed by another.Example: General Social SurveyAdvantages: cheaper and faster than primary data collectionDisadvantages: validity